Drone Surgeon
A unique operating robot has been created in Russia
He will be able to perform complex medical manipulations in automatic mode
Maria Nedyuk, Izvestia
When performing complex operations, it will soon be possible to use a multifunctional robotic platform. The development of Russian scientists will be useful in various fields of medicine – from dentistry to neurosurgery. The difference between the new installation and existing systems is that it can work without the participation of a surgeon, by analogy with a transport drone. The cost of the platform, according to experts, will be several times less than the price of the famous da Vinci surgical robot, whose price is $ 2 million. In a minimal configuration, it will appear in hospitals in the coming years.
"Smart operating room"
Scientists of the Moscow State Medical and Dental University named after A.I. Evdokimov together with the Moscow State Technological University "Stankin" have created a prototype of a unique robotic surgical complex. In fact, development is the main element of a "smart operating system". It is equipped with navigation systems, operation planning, as well as two robots – autonomous and manual, the accuracy of movements of which is an order of magnitude higher than that of a surgeon, Igor Romanenko, head of the Development Project Management Department at Moscow Medical and Dental University, told Izvestia.
– The design of the manual robot resembles a hinged table lamp, which is rigidly fixed by the surgeon on the operating table and allows you to control various instruments: a scalpel, a biopsy needle, a laser and others – according to a given program, – said the expert. – Next to this manipulator there is a visualization and navigation system, which, based on digital models of the patient's organs, allows you to plan the operation, as well as using computer vision systems to "see" how it goes.
Operation on autopilot
The main difference between this development and similar systems existing on the market is that it involves an autonomous robot. The famous da Vinci, which is now used in hundreds of clinics around the world, is only a robot-assisted surgical platform.
– The sequence and time of actions is determined by the surgeon. Then the computer program translates the operation plan into a set of automatic algorithms," explains Igor Romanenko. – The doctor, pressing Enter, starts the program and controls the process. The surgeon, of course, has a red button with which he can stop the robot at any time. Conceptually, this is very similar to the principle of operation of unmanned vehicles, whose actions are still controlled by a human driver.
Among the advantages of the "smart operating room", scientists also call its versatility. The software of the robotic system designed at the Moscow Medical and Dental University is, in fact, an open platform for applications needed by surgeons of various fields. Another advantage is that the developers want to make this system as accessible as possible. So that the simplest modifications of the "smart operating room" are available to regional clinical hospitals.
Available technology
To date, scientists have created a working prototype that performs five types of surgical manipulations on a mannequin: a brain biopsy, a laser cut in the soft tissues of the mouth, radiofrequency ablation of the liver (a minimally invasive method of surgical treatment using radio waves), transpedicular fixation of the spine (installing screws in the vertebrae) and application of cellular material to eliminate the caries area of the tooth using autologous stem cells.
Robotic systems in their minimal configuration (only with a manual manipulator, without an automatic one) may appear in hospitals in the coming years, Andrei Lomonosov, deputy head of the Biomedicine direction of the working group of the National Technological Initiative Helsnet, told Izvestia.
– This manual manipulator, which is part of the "smart operating room", may enter the market in the near future. It will be available to a wide range of hospitals, which will ultimately make the provision of surgical care safer," the expert noted.
It is too early to talk about the effectiveness of the new robot, said Alexey Lychagin, Head of the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgery at Sechenov University.
– If this is really an autonomous device, then it is, of course, very interesting. However, it is difficult to talk about its pros and cons until clinical practice has been studied," he noted.
The developers believe that before the introduction of a "smart operating system" in full configuration, it can take about five years to enter clinical practice.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru